Design Week articles from February 2005

Design Week archives from February 2005

Superhotel design gets green light.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2005... Silken Group, the hotel business behind the extravagant 275m (#52m) Puerta America Hotel in Madrid, has received planning permission to construct a luxury hotel and apartment complex in London, due to open mid-2007. Foster and Partners is...

Conran tailors interiors for flagship.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2005... Jasper Conran's flagship store has been conceived as an 'old couture house' and is set to open in two weeks' time during his womenswear show at London Fashion Week. Conran is currently putting the finishing touches to his own designs...

Wallsgrove feeds Mildberry brand.(Bill Wallsgrove )(Brief Article)
February 3, 2005... The first project to come out of the collaboration between Big Idea co- founder Bill Wallsgrove and Moscow branding group Mildberry will be launched in Russia in the next couple of weeks. Mildberry has created a two-level brand identity for...

Top job at DAS stays unfilled.(Diversified Agency Services)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2005... Omnicom Group is yet to appoint a replacement for Michael Birkin, its outgoing president of the Diversified Agency Services network. Birkin takes up the position of vice-chairman and president of Asia Pacific at Omnicom from 1 April. ...

Motorola tries a soft approach.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2005... Motorola is set to unveil a range of mobile handsets, some of which will have a 'softer' form to counterbalance the 'strong design language' of products like its Razr V3. 'There will be a purity of geometry, a "pebble" language; this moves...

Misha Black win for Kelley.(David Kelley )(Brief Article)
February 3, 2005... Ideo co-founder Professor David Kelley of Stanford University has been named winner of the 2005 Sir Misha Black Medal for distinguished services to design education. Kelley recently founded Stanford's 'd-school' which will have a...

COMMENT: Great Britons in design world need recognition.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2005... BY LYNDA RELPH-KNIGHT It is very fitting that Sir Tim Berners-Lee should be named Great Briton of 2004 last week at the inaugural Great Britons awards. The visionary software engineer changed our lives through the invention of the World...

COMMENT: Exploit every opportunity.
February 3, 2005... BY LYNDA RELPH-KNIGHT One of the traits of 'Great Britishness' in design is the spirit of entrepreneurialism. This is why Bill Wallsgrove of Big Idea is one of those making a showing in Russia through his link with Moscow consultancy...

RDC Foley Cooke tunes up Racing Green interiors.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2005... The Speciality Retail Group is planning to open at least six more Racing Green outlets across the UK, with a revamped interior concept created by RDC Foley Cooke, as part of a long-term strategy to reposition the brand. The company is...

Sonja Frick unites Monsoon offer.
February 3, 2005... Monsoon, the clothing and accessories retailer, is collaborating with design group Sonja Frick Design to create a retail concept that will tie together its four sub-brands and nine ranges under one identity for the first time. The...

Identity and packaging for Progress.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2005... Nude Brand Creation has designed the identity and packaging for Progress, an Electrolux-owned vacuum cleaner range set to launch across Europe later this month. The Progress brand is unknown outside Germany, where it is manufactured, so its...

Tenth anniversary.(Greater Manchester Youth Justice Trust )(Brief Article)
February 3, 2005... The Greater Manchester Youth Justice Trust is celebrating its tenth anniversary with its 2004 annual report designed by local consultancy Love. Consultancy creative directors Phil Skegg and Dave Simpson have worked with the youth crime...

Boots is counting on No7 range redesign.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2005... Boots the Chemists will next week unveil a complete overhaul of its No7 cosmetics range, with structural packaging designs by Priestman Goode and pack graphics and a redrawn logo by Enterprise IG. The #100m No7 range is the largest...

The Brewery raises a glass to Museum of Scotland appointment.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2005... Following a six-way pitch National Museums of Scotland has appointed The Brewery to design and create a new Sports Gallery at the Museum of Scotland, located on Chambers Street in Edinburgh. The gallery, due to open later this year, is...

Queen to unveil Casson Mann's Churchill project.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2005... Casson Mann's designs for the Churchill Museum will be unveiled next week, when the museum is officially opened in central London by HRH the Queen. As a #6m extension to the Cabinet War Rooms it is the world's first major museum dedicated to...

National Gallery launches new centre.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2005... The National Gallery launches its #500,000 Art Start multimedia centre and interactive kiosk system today. Architect Wright and Wright has designed the centre as a lounge space on the first floor of the gallery's Sainsbury Wing. The centre...

Student design competition.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2005... Ferrari is launching a student design competition this week. Students from Coventry School of Art and Design, Tokyo Communication Arts, Art Center Pasadena and the European Institute of Design in Turin, will design the Ferrari of the future....

Modernised packaging.(Fairy Non-Bio washing powder)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2005... Fairy Non-Bio washing powder this month launches 'modernised' packaging, created by Interbrand. Central to the packs are a heart- shaped device and the 'Fairy baby', which is made more prominent. The existing turquoise background is retained....

300Million appointed.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2005... Following a five-way pitch the Edinburgh International Film Festival has appointed London consultancy 300Million to create a visual identity for each festival for the next three years. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

Dragon appointment.(Mark Stephens)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2005... Dragon has appointed former FutureBrand design director Mark Stephens as design director to work alongside creative partner Samantha Dumont. Former Smith and Milton account manager Sarah Tyce is also joining Dragon as senior account manager....

Dave appointed.(KHA Resourcing and Development Solutions)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2005... Dave has been appointed to rebrand Berkshire personnel group KHA Resourcing & Development Solutions. The project will be launched at the end of the year. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

Joining forces.(Design Trust is joining forces with London Metropolitan University's department of Art, Media and Design)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2005... The Design Trust is joining forces with London Metropolitan University's department of Art, Media and Design. The trust takes on two trustees from the university and will relocate to its Commercial Road premises in London. Copyright:...

Visual identity for Film Flex.(Dunning Eley Jones)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2005... Dunning Eley Jones has created the visual identity for Film Flex, a video on-demand service from Sony Pictures Television International, Walt Disney Television International and On Demand Group. The service is launching in Glasgow and Bristol....

Etc. Venues rebranded.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2005... Blast has rebranded Etc. Venues, a provider of training, meeting and conference space in London. The identity is based on lists of emotive words and phrases which end with 'etc.'. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

Identity for Bramdean.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2005... Pearlfisher has created the identity for Bramdean, a newly launching asset management company in London. The marque replicates the design found on bank notes. It will run across all stationery, business cards and corporate brochures. ...

Identity for Group NBT.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2005... Communique 360 has created the visual identity for Internet services company Group NBT, as it renames from NetBenefit. C360 is also set to work on a rebrand and corporate website for Group NBT's Web-hosting service Easily.co.uk. ...

Getfrank merges with Cognitive Applications.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2005... Digital design and interactive consultancy Getfrank has merged with interactive design and technology group Cognitive Applications. The combined business is located in Cognitive Applications' existing Brighton office. Copyright: Centaur...

Reworked identity for the Baltic Exchange.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2005... College Design has created a reworked identity for the Baltic Exchange, an organisation that provides information and shipbroking standards for the maritime market. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

Clare Lundy promoted.(Navyblue Design Group )(Brief Article)
February 3, 2005... Navyblue Design Group has promoted design director Clare Lundy to creative director of its London office. She will be responsible for overseeing the creative output and direction of the studio. Lundy has sat on the group's board since 2001. ...

Morey Smith styles RCS extension.(Royal Commonwealth Society )(Brief Article)
February 3, 2005... The Royal Commonwealth Society has unveiled design concepts for the 1000m2 extension to its Commonwealth Club premises in London, following the appointment of multidisciplinary group MoreySmith in June 2004. The consultancy, selected...

Former Blue Marlin directors establish Echo.(Echo Brand Design)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2005... A trio of former Blue Marlin Brand Design directors has formed a breakaway consultancy called Echo Brand Design, which will operate across graphic and three-dimensional branding. Echo founders Nick Dormon, David Bicknell and Andrew Capper...

Randak puts Glasgow in the Cinezone.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2005... Scottish group Randak has created the identity for the city's first event celebrating film, the Glasgow World Film Festival, taking place next week. Last year Randak was also commissioned to brand an area in the city centre heavily...

The Core gives Lloyds TSB division free rein.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2005... Lloyds TSB Group is carrying out a six-figure project with The Core to roll out its first cohesive brand identity for the global International Private Banking division. Appointed in December, the Hull design group has designed an...

Funding boost for Coventry University.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2005... Coventry University has received a #2.5m boost from the Higher Education Funding Council for England to plough into its School of Art and Design and develop a National Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. The funding will be...

Greenroom Digital website.(www.the-magic-roundabout.com)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2005... Greenroom Digital has designed a website to promote forthcoming animated movie The Magic Roundabout. Individuals can play games, access video downloads, enter competitions and 'talk' in chat rooms when they visit www.the-magic-roundabout.com....

Demand for office space fuels workplace design.
February 3, 2005... The demand for office space in England and Wales is rising at its fastest rate in four and a half years, according to a survey by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. The figures, published last week, show that while the market in...

Fusion of 17th and 21st century Chinese decor.(interior design consultancy Tully Filmer for Shanghai Blues a restaurant)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2005... A fusion of 17th and 21st century Chinese decor has just been served up by interior design consultancy Tully Filmer for Shanghai Blues, a restaurant that opened in central London last week. Housed in a Grade II-listed building in Holborn,...

In touch with the masses.(interactive features of galleries)
February 3, 2005... Interactive features are now part of our world, so galleries are feeling the pressure to develop similar systems before it's too late, says Mike Exon Exhibition design feels like it is on the brink at the moment. Take a visit to a...

Letter: Health service knows it needs design treatment.(Letter to the Editor)
February 3, 2005... In response to Colum Lowe (Design Business, DW 20 January), yes, the NHS needs design and has been getting plenty. I have just moved on from my role as corporate brand manager for the NHS Information Authority and taken up the post of...

Letter: Is making it to market the only gauge for success?(Letter to the Editor)
February 3, 2005... Reading your feature about Project Isos (DW 20 January), I was particularly disappointed in reading Hannah Booth's opening remarks. Citing TimeFrame as having 'mixed results' and being slightly dismissive of the whole project, I feel the...

Letter: Having same name as 'Hoover people' sucks.(Letter to the Editor)
February 3, 2005... Claire Billesdon is fed up of constantly seeing the Dyson name in Design Week (Letters, DW 20 January). She wants to read more about 'positive, new and up-and-coming' designers instead. I am sure we fit the bill, but Design Week should be...

VOX POP.(design services celebrations)
February 3, 2005... Following the launch of a full 'year of design' in Sweden, Finland and Norway this month, should the UK consider an official year-long celebration itself, or would this water down our existing festivals and events? 'Anything championing...

INSPIRED: Simon Elliott - Rose Design.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2005... There's long been a tendency in design to confuse inspiration with appropriating someone else's ideas or execution. Consequently, genuine inspiration, or its source, can be a funny one to pin down. I'm rarely aware of mentally banking things...

PRIVATE VIEW: Critical state of writing.
February 3, 2005... When are we going to get some more graphic design critics? asks Adrian Shaughnessy. It seems they could be too busy listening to boy bands... Hollywood movies, boy band CDs, novels, TV programmes, computer games and art exhibitions are...

DESIGN BUSINESS: The Smoke and mirrors.
February 3, 2005... Spencer Buck can't understand why the industry is so London-centric - why compromise your quality of life just to be part of the in-crowd? he asks Designers. We're an open-minded lot aren't we? Open to new ideas and new ways of doing...

PROFILE - PARRA: On deck.
February 3, 2005... Rejected from art school, Parra acquired his own design skills and subsequently became a creative force in Amsterdam's club scene, before winning briefs from major corporate clients. John Stones talks to him about his work In Amsterdam,...

DESIGN IN SCHOOLS: Classroom makeover.
February 3, 2005... British schools have a dilapidated image that hinders rather than encourages learning. Can ambitious Government plans to bring students, teachers and designers into the design process turn things around? Trish Lorenz finds out While most...

DESIGN IN SCHOOLS: Audi Foundation Innovation Awards.(Audi Design Foundation)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2005... The dependence on stock computer design in education is the target of a new awards scheme from the Audi Design Foundation. It is seeking to develop creativity in schools, particularly the new curricular subject of Design and Technology, by...

COLOGNE FURNITURE FAIR: STAND GROUND.(IMM Cologne)
February 3, 2005... John Stones discovers how the IMM Cologne furniture exposition is faring in the wake of Germany's recession From the glum expressions on the faces of the taxi drivers you could be forgiven for thinking that very little was going on at IMM...

ILLUSTRATION: PARK AND RIDE.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2005... Design Week views the winning entries in the Society of Artists Agents Illustration Awards The winners of the Society of Artists Agents Illustration Awards, held together with the London Transport Museum and now in its third year, were...

REVIEW: Goodbye flaky packaging.(Column)
February 3, 2005... Steve Osborne samples Mr Kipling's updated cake boxes and he thinks it's exceedingly good design On a recent visit to Safeway, or Morrisons as it is now known, I couldn't help noticing the new design for Mr Kipling cakes. I immediately...

Strategy overhaul for Dixons Group.(Brief Article)
February 10, 2005... Dixons Group is reviewing the retail design across its portfolio of store brands. Dixons, Currys and The Link have all recently appointed design consultancies to work on potential retail formats. It is understood that the group is in...

Mattin to oversee design at Volvo.(Steve Mattin)(Volvo Car Corp.)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2005... Volvo Car Corporation has appointed Steve Mattin, currently senior design manager at DaimlerChrysler, to the position of vice-president and design director. He replaces Henrik Otto, who took up the role following the promotion of Peter...

Six Cities celebrate Scottish design.(creative industries highlighted in Six Cities Festival)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2005... The Scottish Executive has voted to plough #3m into Scotland's biennial Six Cities Festival, due to kick off in 2007, in a bid to raise the profile of the local creative industries. The event will focus on six Scottish cities - Glasgow,...

Guess store by No-Stop Studio.(Guess? Inc.)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2005... Fashion retailer Guess is set to open a flagship store in London's Covent Garden, which is currently being designed by No-Stop Studio in Florence, Italy. The creative lead on the project is No-Stop Studio architect Massimo Materassi....

Poke review for Design Council.(appointment)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2005... The Design Council has appointed Poke to review its digital media capability. Poke will undertake a 'short piece' of consultancy work to inform the council's future Web and digital media development. Its work will focus on 'strategic...

Bell rings out of Una projects.(Nick Bell, Una London Ltd.)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2005... Una London director Nick Bell has discontinued his relationship with Dutch design group Una and is reverting the name of his consultancy to Nick Bell Design. Bell formed the relationship with Una in 1998 (DW 16 January 1998), but found...

COMMENT: Regional drives can inspire creative confidence in UK.
February 10, 2005... BY LYNDA RELPH-KNIGHT China may be a leading world market, but Chinese consumers are still wary of home-grown brands. It is therefore not uncommon for local manufacturers to go abroad - notably to the US - to develop their brands before...

Jason Bruges sculptures.(for London Borough of Havering)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2005... Lighting designer Jason Bruges, one of the designers behind the Puerta America hotel in Madrid, has created four giant 12m-high towers made from litmus paper that sense and respond to a variety of stimuli, such as daylight, wind and tides....

Time Warner Book Group wants an Unreal identity.(Brief Article)
February 10, 2005... Time Warner Book Group UK is creating its first 'design-led' identity to sit alongside its seven imprint titles, including Abacus, Atom, Little Brown, Orbit and Virago Press, as part of a long-term strategy to grow the company. The UK...

Brewer Riddiford looks at food brand.(Leathams)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2005... Brewer Riddiford has been appointed by fine food producer Leathams to revitalise its Merchant Gourmet brand. The consultancy was selected after credentials presentations from a final shortlist of two groups. Initial redesigns will involve...

Picturehouse brings it all Together.(Picturehouse Cinemas contracts with Together Design)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2005... Independent art house cinema group, Picturehouse Cinemas, is carrying out its first 'cohesive' branding project that will bring together its 18 different cinemas under an umbrella identity, to bolster a long-term growth strategy. The...

Four IV takes a swing at American Golf store.(Brief Article)
February 10, 2005... Four IV is putting together a concept store design for European retailer American Golf, which is likely to be completed early next year. The consultancy has also overhauled the retailer's in-store graphics and identity. Dropping the word...

Book of hand illustrations.(George Hardie's hand illustrations)(A Show Of Hands)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2005... George Hardie, the illustrator behind the Robotic Handshake design on Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here album, is to publish a book of hand illustrations. Manual launches next month and a selection of Hardie's new drawings will be shown in A...

Website for Nathan Barley.(Kaius Design)(www.trashbat.co.uk)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2005... The website for Channel 4's new comedy, Nathan Barley, which kicks off on Friday, is designed and art directed by London consultancy Kaius Design and built by Richard Salter. Born of a website itself, Nathan Barley is the latest offering...

Design role styling BIDs projects.(business improvement district schemes)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2005... A host of Business Improvement District schemes launching across the UK present significant project opportunities for design groups. The nascent regeneration schemes can be set up as a partnership between businesses in a certain area....

Chartered Society of Designers set to appoint John Sermon.(Brief Article)
February 10, 2005... The Chartered Society of Designers is set to appoint former British Tourist Authority design director John Sermon as its president. He will replace current chairman Brian Webb at the CSD's next AGM. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd....

Internova redeveloping on-line shop.(London Transport Museum)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2005... Nottingham new media consultancy Internova is redeveloping London Transport Museum's on-line shop, enabling the company to sell more than 200 branded products on-line. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

Bluedoor appointed.(CCA Group)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2005... Yorkshire consultancy Bluedoor has been appointed to create an e- commerce website for greeting card and stationery supplier CCA Group. The project is worth #40,000. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

Coutts Creative appointed.(America Online Inc.)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2005... Coutts Creative has been appointed by AOL to design in-store branding to promote the Internet company's broadband service. The first of a series of projects launches across the Dixons Group of stores next week. Copyright: Centaur...

Ian Whalley appointed.(Wechsler Ross & Portet)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2005... Wechsler Ross & Portet has appointed former FutureBrand designer Ian Whalley as design director. Whalley will take responsibility for the group's pan-European work for Morgan Stanley. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

Rose designs National Anthems.(for Dennis McIntyre)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2005... Rose has designed the programme for Dennis McIntyre's National Anthems, which premieres at The Old Vic theatre in London on 8 February. The design takes its cues from American magazines of the late 1980s. Copyright: Centaur...

Identity for Chadwick.(Hat-Trick Design)(Interior design services)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2005... Hat-Trick Design has developed an identity for management architectural practice Chadwick. The consultancy was appointed before Christmas and is currently working on rolling the brand out across promotional literature and the company's...

Brochure for Whitefriars retail scheme.(brochure)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2005... Nextbigthing has designed a brochure for property developer Land Securities' Whitefriars retail scheme in Canterbury. The brochure adopts a 'fashion language' in order to attract fashion retailers to empty shop units. Copyright: Centaur...

Walker Books launches website.(Book publishing)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2005... As part of its 25th anniversary celebrations, independent children's book publisher Walker Books is launching a website at www.walkerbooks.co.uk. The site is designed by NB Studio. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

Tayburn measures up Glenmorangie.(interior design)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2005... Glenmorangie has appointed Tayburn to redesign its corporate identity following the takeover of the Scotch whisky distiller by Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton in December 2004. The identity and branding will reflect the company's name change...

Timberland on track with Rowland interiors.(footwear industry)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2005... Rowland Design is producing an interior scheme for a 390m2 space that will act as a UK showroom for outdoor footwear and apparel manufacturer Timberland. The client, which is based in New Hampshire in the US, operates a national...

R Design and Saint Clair Projects go to work on Club Med package.(Hotels and Motels)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2005... Club Med, the French-owned holiday operator, is preparing to open its first UK store in London's Covent Garden as part of a two-year strategy to position the brand as more 'upmarket'. The 140m2 shop in Henrietta Street will showcase the...

Third Space styles Gresham Blake.(Brief Article)
February 10, 2005... Celebrity designer tailor Gresham Blake is opening a flagship store in Brighton next month, with interiors drawn up by Third Space. The shop will be located in Brighton's North Laine area and will be a 'classic, contemporary space with a...

Andrew Davidson to create posters.(Manchester group )(Brief Article)
February 10, 2005... Illustrator Andrew Davidson has been brought in by Manchester group Germ to create posters to promote the Flying Scotsman's journeys. Davidson pays homage to 1920s and 1930s railway art, says Germ creative director David Barraclough. 'We wanted...

Inclusive thinkers take up the Design Challenge.(Design Business Association's Design Challenge award)
February 10, 2005... Five consultancies have been shortlisted for the Design Business Association's Design Challenge award, an annual competition to promote innovation through inclusive design. Corporate Edge has created a communication toolkit for dyslexics,...

Generic makes room for bespoke.(hotels and design)
February 10, 2005... As consumers grow more demanding, Sarah Balmond finds out how modern hotels distinguish themselves Since the 1980s, when celebrity designer Philippe Starck dreamt up the extravagant hotel concepts that ushered in the era of the boutique...

Letter: One size doesn't fit all when it comes to free-pitching.(Letter to the Editor)
February 10, 2005... Regarding the letter from Natasha Lindsay (DW 27 January), there are various reasons as to why design consultancies will find it hard to say no consistently to free pitches, not to mention the temptation of a large pay-day. Refusing to...

Letter: Mr Kipling's resistance to packaging style crumbles.(Letter to the Editor)
February 10, 2005... Steve Osborne's panegyric (Review, DW 3 February) about Turner Duckworth's design abilities (generally excellent though they are) regarding the new Mr Kipling packs is considerably overstated. The notable factor is not the pack design quality,...